Goan And Vegetarian? Yes!

December 9, 2017

Goan Veg Food — Aletria. Image used for representation only

Goan food is often associated with seafood like fish, prawns and crab. Vegetarian dishes seldom make it to the menu, leaving most non-meat eaters jittery about trying this flavourful cuisine. Worry not, as we have scouted some of the interesting vegetarian dishes that are lip-smacking, spicy and most importantly, Goan.

Chef Prema Bhaskar, originally from Goa, has shared a few tips and tricks with us to master Goan cooking that can easily be done at home. “The base of most Goan dishes is the spice that it is made of. It consists of tomatoes, onions, red Goan chillies, homemade Goan vinegar and garam masala,” explains Chef Bhaskar of Sara Soda, who sources all her ingredients from Goa.

Goan food is heavily influenced by Portuguese cuisine. Ingredients like potatoes, tomatoes, chillies, cashews, pineapples and guavas were brought in by the Portuguese. Use of coconut in various forms, kokum and pickles is very dominant throughout the cuisine. Balchao and Recheado masalas are commonly used to make most dishes.

Here are some of Chef Bhaskar’s vegetarian creations:

Goan Vegetarian Cutlet

Vegetables like potatoes, carrots, baby corn, broccoli, chillies and onions are finely chopped. The balchao spices like garam masala, Goan vinegar, turmeric and salt are added to the mix. The mix is mashed into cakes, dipped in bread crumbs and fried. This can be had with ivy gourd pickle.

Crispy Baby Corn

This crispy-friend baby corn is not like any other variant available at every restaurant. The corn pieces are marinated in a recheado spice mix which consists of onions, tomatoes, Goan vinegar and has a tangier taste to it. It is then coated with rawa or semolina and fried. Chef Bhaskar also adds that if some don’t wish to use egg in the batter, they can substitute it with corn flour.

Vegetarian Balchao Roll

Balchao paste is made by mixing freshly chopped garlic slices, red chillies, coriander, garlic, onions and tomatoes in tamarind, turmeric and Goan vinegar. This mix is slightly blended and cooked to bring out its true flavours. The paste is then added to a papad which is rolled and toasted. Mint chutney is a great accompaniment with this roll.

Goan Curries

Some of the most popular Goan curries include Xacuti, Caldinho and Vindaloo. Generally cooked in prawns and fish, it can easily be replaced with fresh vegetables like zucchini, capsicum, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, beans and potatoes. The Xacuti curry is browned with the addition of cashews and a bit of coconut milk. The Caldinho curry is on the sweeter and thicker side with more coconut milk added to it while the Vindaloo is tangier and spicier with the use of homemade vinegar.

Goan Sanna Cakes

These soft, steamed rice cakes are very similar to idlis but they have a distinctive sweet taste. Sanna cakes are made from blending thick Goan rice with coconut and toddy. It is left overnight to ferment. If toddy isn’t available, then yeast can also be added to quicken the fermentation process. These cakes can be eaten with the curries.